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NCAA's Expanded Tournament Bracket Helps Wildcats — But Do They Deserve It?
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NCAA's Expanded Tournament Bracket Helps Wildcats — But Do They Deserve It?

Northwestern Wildcats On SI·Alex Kirschenbaum·22 days ago
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Maybe this was inevitable. Just as the NCAA Tournament was never going to stop at a 32-team bracket, nor a 64-team expanded window, it makes sense that the competition is now leaping from a 68-team bracket to a 76-team one starting next March, per a press statement . The presser notes that a bigger Opening Round will now lead into the Round of 64. Instead of the four play-in games under the old system, now there will be 12. Tom Fornelli of the Cover 3 Podcast posits that, beyond fairly middling programs sneaking into the college playoffs under this new system, another big issue is that this could totally bust brackets earlier than ever. This window will allow for bubble teams to get more shine than perhaps their programs deserve. Though the 2025-26 Northwestern Wildcats men's team (who finished at 15-19) wasn't likely to make the cut even in a 76-team bracket, the 2024-25 Wildcats might be just such a squad.…

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